OKLAHOMA CITY — Giving the OKC crowd what it wanted, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander danced with the ball. Between his legs, behind his back. Finally, he darted a pass to Bennett Stirtz. The 23-year-old knocked down the outside jumper in the final seconds of the third frame. The dedicated local hooping fans were rewarded with fireworks.
The Oklahoma City Thunder made it two-for-two in this back-to-back with a 114-75 win over the Washington Wizards. The former continues to be a win machine since Post-D.C.C. (Dub, Chet, Caso) started.
Before this game became an impromptu party, both teams showed signs of rustiness at the start. Made sense, too. Since they were on the second night of a traveling back-to-back trip. Eventually, the Thunder created some wiggle
room. Jared McCain found Aday Mara for an and-one layup. They had a 25-19 lead after the first quarter.
After that, the Thunder completely ran away with it in the second frame. They had a 25-7 run. AJ Dybantsa barreling his way to the rim was Washington's only source of offense. As Gilgeous-Alexander rested, the OKC second unit blew this game wide open. Isaiah Hartenstein's synergy with McCain was on full display. The microwave scorer continued his hot streak.
The Thunder had 32 points in the second quarter. Meanwhile, the Wizards shot an ugly 28% from the field for an entire half of NBA basketball. Even for a young pup team, that's bad. OKC had a 57-36 lead over Washington at the halftime break. It was en route to another blowout win. I think they've rediscovered their magic after a handful of traumatic injuries.
As the Thunder led by as many as 43 points, the second half morphed from a semi-competitive basketball game into a fun event center. They had 33 points in the third frame. They had a 90-59 lead. Allen Iverson was shown on the Jumbotron as a rare OKC visitor. Cason Wallace and Chet Holmgren were shown on the jumbotron for loud crowd pops.
Once again, Gilgeous-Alexander took the fourth quarter off. I guess the Thunder have learned to win in ways that don't totally depend on his scoring output. Mara-Mania made its regular-season debut. In a lopsided game, he knocked down his first career jumper. He also had a couple of nasty rejections. The 21-year-old played with the moxiness he had at Michigan last year.
The Thunder finished with 24 points in the fourth quarter. For another night, I was able to start writing this early. And for another night, OKC puffed up its net rating by a few points, for those who care about such advanced analytics. They're continuing to thrive despite a laundry list of absences.
The Thunder shot 49% from the field and went 10-of-28 (35.7%) from 3. They shot 14-of-18 on free throws. They had 33 assists on 45 baskets. Five Thunder players scored double-digit points.
Gilgeous-Alexander had a cool 30 points and nine assists. Mara finished with 18 points and eight rebounds. McCain had 19 points and five rebounds. Ajay Mitchell was quiet with 12 points and four rebounds. Stirtz also had 11 points and five rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Wizards shot 30% from the field and went 7-of-43 (16.3%) from 3. They shot 10-of-15 on free throws. They had 20 assists on 29 baskets. Three Wizards players scored double-digit points.
Dybantsa finished with 19 points and six rebounds. Alex Sarr tallied a 15-point, 14-rebound double-double. Kyshawn George had 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Well, this is why both of these teams are on opposite ends of the NBA highway. The Thunder — even with missing three of their four best players — have discovered a winning formula. Gilgeous-Alexander will always be the top reason for all of their success, but the rest of the rotation has filled out nicely. Specifically, their new additions from the past calendar year.
The Thunder are rolling. They completely dismantled two up-and-coming teams over the past 48 hours. Gilgeous-Alexander wasn't even required to do a whole lot. It's been a group effort by OKC. The NBA marathon moves forward. After a few understandable hiccups, they've Frankenstein'd together another contender.
Let's look at Thunder player grades:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: A
Getting a one-on-one look at Will Riley, Gilgeous-Alexander licked his chops. He refused a couple of screens to go for the isolation look. As the Washington defender was actively panicking on what to do, the two-time MVP winner calmly took two large backpedals as he drilled a stepback 3-pointer.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting, nine assists and two rebounds. He shot 3-of-5 from 3 and went 5-of-6 on free throws. He also had one block.
It was much the same for Gilgeous-Alexander. He's made efficient 30-point outings look second nature. The Wizards had absolutely no hope of slowing him down. He went into autopilot mode as he rainbowed in mid-range jumper after mid-range jumper. The drives to the basket were also back. That's turned into a little bit of a throwback move as his shot diet goes further away from the paint.
Without breaking much of a sweat, Gilgeous-Alexander had 20 points in the first half. As the Thunder nearly doubled the Wizards on the scoreboard, he ensured to cross the aesthetically-pleasing 30-point mark before his shift ended a dozen minutes earlier than scheduled.
The outside jumper is the most heavily featured it's ever been in Gilgeous-Alexander's NBA journey. Lethal stepback 3-pointers have been completely demoralizing for the opposition this year. He pocketed that shot attempt in recent years in the name of efficiency. But is fully embracing it now. Even with the different set of circumstances compared to two weeks ago.
This isn't the usual, drive-heavy Gilgeous-Alexander we've seen through the first half of the decade. But he's still getting the same results. The jumper has become his top weapon now instead of acrobatic finishes through traffic, but you can't hate on the shot-diet change if it ends with the same destination of being one of the league's top and most efficient scorers.
Buckets brought to you by 2️⃣ pic.twitter.com/Q9TWvy44YC
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 8, 2026
👌👌👌 pic.twitter.com/cyKyD2Kuqq
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 8, 2026
2️⃣ does it with ease 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/pupRKSt5oo
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 8, 2026
Aday Mara: A-plus
One-handed catching Gilgeous-Alexander's miss, Mara went to work on a second-chance look. He took one power dribble before he spun around for the putback layup. The opening bucket previewed the type of monstrous night the 21-year-old would enjoy.
Mara finished with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting, eight rebounds and three assists. He shot 1-of-1 from 3 and went 1-of-2 on free throws. He also had three blocks.
You want to know how the Thunder have conjured up a sharp defense without Holmgren's otherworldly rim protection? Look no further than Mara. Within three games of the 2026-27 regular season, any plans to slow-play his development were thrown out the window. They needed help. Right then and there. In a sink-or-swim couple of weeks, the 7-foot-3 behomoth has glided with the water current.
Mara has completely changed how the Thunder play on both ends. About all of his playmakers have figured out how to throw the ball at him deep in the paint. Lob attempts have become more daring. They've realized their margin for error is endless. Not only that, but his teammates have confidently clashed into the opposing defense — knowing they can bank on him cleaning up their misses.
As the game was out of hand, Mara had the most fun he had enjoyed since being in the NBA. The blocks were downright nasty. He showed his different style of being a shot-blocker — at least, compared to Holmgren. He's all raw strength and size. He doesn't need to hop off the floor to reach a shot attempt's apex. A simple, strong swat serves as enough force.
Egged on by the OKC crowd, Mara swished in his first career outside jumper. The seven-footer had to work up the confidence to get into his shot motion. But finally went up for the shot attempt he drilled in. Understanding the significance, the fanbase erupted like he had hit a game-winner. You can now cross that item off his NBA bucket list. Feeling himself, he later went with a Dirk fade jumper.
The more Mara has played in the NBA, the better he's been. Entering the year, the Thunder badly needed some new blood among their rotation players. In comes the 21-year-old. He's been a dominant force in stretches on both ends. But this was the first time in his rookie season when everything came together for an entire night.
Sent that ball to a different area code 😳 pic.twitter.com/fot4S9ISSw
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 8, 2026
Cash money 💰 pic.twitter.com/32zkFizDZD
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 8, 2026
Jared McCain: A-plus
Playing pitch-and-catch with Hartenstein, McCain caught his DHO pass from beyond the arc. Instead of settling for an outside jumper, though, the 22-year-old dribbled his way to within the perimeter. With Riley tagged on him, he went baseline for the underhanded layup. The rim finishes have been a day-and-night difference.
McCain finished with 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, five rebounds and two assists. He shot 2-of-4 from 3 and went 1-of-1 on free throws. He also had one block.
Mastering the finger-roll layup, McCain has had an inverse shot diet from last year — funny enough. He's killed it from within the perimeter while his outside jumper has been shaky. He scored 15 points in the second quarter as the Thunder quickly taught viewers that the Wizards are nowhere near their stratosphere. Even with their current state of the roster.
The Thunder have absolutely fallen in love with McCain's scoring bag. Especially now that it's no longer fully dependent on outside jumpers. His past summer with Gilgeous-Alexander has completely transformed him into a more well-rounded bucket-getter. His two-man game with Hartenstein has snowballed momentum as OKC has figured out a second-unit rotation Post-D.C.C.
It's going to be a group effort from here on out. You know what you'll get from Gilgeous-Alexander. But the rest of the group? It's literally a night-to-night basis. That's what happens when your supporting cast is pushed to the front of the line out of pure necessity. In these back-to-back blowouts, McCain has caught fire as a scorer. A much-needed breakout considering the ice-cold spell he was previously on.
Lightning McCain 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Mu0wMup7oC
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 8, 2026
Keep the rock moving 🔁 pic.twitter.com/kzsMFymZqs
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 8, 2026
Kenrich Williams: C
Pump-faking from the top of the key, Williams took a couple of awkward dribbles before he rammed into Sarr. He muscled his way through one of Washington's best players for the and-one layup. After the Wizards' challenge failed to get it overturned, the 31-year-old once again set the physical tone from the jump.
Williams finished with nine points on 3-of-7 shooting, four rebounds and two assists. He shot 1-of-2 from 3 and went 2-of-3 on free throws.
As the Thunder mount back on the horse after being thrown off it, Williams has been an unsung hero. The 31-year-old has seamlessly stepped up as a regular starter — something he's never been asked to do at any other stage of his lengthy NBA career. Not just that, but he's gladly taken on the challenge of defending the opposition's best perimeter scorers.
Over the years, I've always wondered how Williams would handle a regular workload. The Thunder have saved his legs with their luxurious depth. But with that gone — at least for now — he's been asked to take on the brunt of top defensive assignments while being a play-finisher on offense. So far, he's been amazing. His return went from a nice story to a key component in OKC surviving an onslaught of early injuries.
As the Thunder continue to tinker with their starting lineup on a game-to-game basis, Williams has become a fixture. He's too important on both ends to remove from the start of games. Over this back-to-back sweep, he showed why everybody in OKC has such an affinity for him and his playstyle.
Gritty work early 💪 pic.twitter.com/ttwtMSvVtf
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 8, 2026
Highlights:
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Player grades: Thunder make easy work of Wizards in 114-75 win
